Chapter 6 - The Crawl to Freedom
The air inside the main vault was already growing noticeably thin and warm.
"Take Charlotte first," William said, lifting his daughter up toward the dark opening of the ductwork. "Charlotte, listen to Emma. She's going to guide you through the tunnel. Can you be a brave girl for Daddy?"
Charlotte sniffled, squeezing her stuffed rabbit—which Emma had carefully taped shut earlier—and nodded. "I'll be brave."
Emma crawled into the narrow, metallic shaft first, her elbows scraping against the cold galvanized steel. She reached back, pulling Charlotte gently into the crawl space beside her.
"I'm coming right behind you as far as I can get," William said, squeezing his large frame into the opening, using a heavy iron bar from the shelf to keep the vent opening wedged wide open so the airflow wouldn't cut off completely.
"Keep moving," Emma urged, navigating the dark, dusty ductwork using the glow of her phone held in her teeth.
They crawled for fifty feet through the labyrinth of the building’s air system, the sound of their heavy breathing echoing through the aluminum walls.
Ahead, Emma spotted the dim glow of a maintenance light filtering through a slotted exhaust vent.
"We're almost at the boiler room," Emma called back quietly.
She reached the end of the duct, pressing her eye against the louvers.
Below, in the dimly lit basement boiler room, stood Arthur Vance—Isabella’s father and a senior member of the Sterling Foundation’s board of trustees.
He was holding a gasoline canister, splashing fuel across the floorboards near the main electrical circuit panels.
"He's going to burn the building down," Emma whispered back to William in terror. "He’s setting a fire to destroy the vault and cover up the evidence!"
"Emma, listen to me," William’s low voice resonated from behind her. "The exhaust vent has a manual release latch on the outside left corner. You have to kick the grate out, drop down, and disarm him before he lights that fuel."
"I... I've never fought anyone in my life, William," Emma whispered, her hands shaking violently.
"You defended my daughter tonight against Isabella," William said, his tone filled with absolute, unshakeable faith in her. "You are the strongest woman I’ve ever met, Emma. You can do this. I’m right here behind you."
Emma took a deep, steadying breath. She looked at little Charlotte, who was watching her with big, trusting eyes.
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"Stay back in the duct, Charlotte," Emma instructed softly. "Don't come out until I tell you."
Emma positioned her feet against the metal frame of the vent, pulled her legs back, and kicked forward with all her strength.
